Some of us need to be a little more connected than others. While smartphones are getting better at handling some of the one-off tasks we once had to open a laptop for, the truth is that neither a smartphone or tablet can replace my laptop 100% of the time. As a result, my laptop still travels with me most of the time. Like many people, my laptop doesn’t have a dedicated mobile connection, and I’m not always near free WiFi. This leaves me with one of two options, I can either pay for the hotspot service on my phone, or I can carry around a separate mobile hotspot. Both of these options accomplish the same task, but which option is the best way to offer my laptop a mobile data connection?

Since three of the four major US carriers are either already deploying or about to unveil their LTE network, we’re going to be talking about LTE today. If I’m going to pay for a separate data connection for my WiFi-only devices, I’m going to want the best performance and the fastest connection possible. For the tests, I compared the LTE hotspot function in the Verizon Wireless HTC Rezound and the MiFi 4620L, more commonly known as the Verizon Jetpack. Each device was subjected to 25 speed tests back to back, followed by streaming two HD movies to two devices, simultaneously.

SpeedTest - HTC Rezound

Data speeds

During our speed evaluations, the HTC Rezound routinely came out on top. Out of 25 speed tests performed on SpeedTest.net, the Rezound averaged 18Mbps down and 9.5Mbps up, with a ping of 34. The Jetpack averaged a much lower 12Mbps down and 6.3Mbps up, with an average ping of 71.

These tests were performed moments apart, and when once device was broadcasting a hotspot the other device was completely powered down. There were instances where the Jetpack would have a burst of speed that brought the device much closer to 18-19Mbps, but this would only last for a moment, and the speed would immediately drop back down. The Rezound’s connection was routinely more stable, offering a significantly more consistent connection.

When placed in between two laptops to stream HD versions of Tron and Iron Man 2 on two different laptops, each device was the only thing in the room that was powered on. Both devices streamed the entirety of both films, but in two different points during the run with the Jetpack playback was temporarily stopped so the laptop could buffer more of the film. This didn’t happen with the Rezound at all, in fact the videos loaded faster and played without incident until the end. Despite being able to offer the faster, more stable connection, the Rezound also gets ridiculously hot when it streams for particularly long. If you are running the device as a hotspot for more than an hour, you’re not likely to want to use it as a phone without a Bluetooth headset. The Jetpack did get noticeably warmer, but since you don’t have to hold that to your face it’s not nearly such an issue.

Battery life

The real benefit to having a dedicated mobile hotspot comes in when you consider battery life. It’s already somewhat challenging to get your HTC Rezound through a full 14 hour day without killing the battery, but it’s impossible when forcing the device to act as an internet connection for other devices. In order for the Rezound to act as a hotspot and a phone, you’ll need either and extra battery or an external power supply of some kind. The Jetpack 4620L comes with a 1500 mAh battery that, according to Verizon Wireless, will get you through about five hours. I found it to get a little closer to three hours

if you’re really trying to get some data out of it. The Jetpack has an option for a 3000 mAh battery, which is much better at getting you through the day. Essentially, unless you only need the hotspot for an hour or two, you’re looking at an extended battery either way, it’s just whether or not that battery is for your phone or for the hotspot.

In the end it all comes down to price for many people. You’ve already shelled out the cash for the phone, so you have to choose between just adding the hotspot data to your phone, or pay for a new device on a new 2year agreement with a monthly fee attached. Data plans for smartphones that include a data plan start at $50/month, which is the same amount as the monthly rate for a standalone hotspot, only the hotspot has 5GB of data at that price instead of 4 that you share between the phone and the hotspot. The highest plan for a hotspot is $80/month, which gives you 10GB of data. For your phone, you can get 12GB that you share between your phone and your hotspot feature for $100/month. If you go with a 2 year agreement the Jetpack will only run you $50, but you’re tied to that device and that data plan for the next two years.

When you’re limited to 2GB or 5GB in a month, whether or not you’re able to reach 12Mbps or 19Mbps doesn’t matter quite as much, since you’re likely to eat up your data pretty quickly if you’re consuming enough data that speeds like that matter on a regular basis. While a detached hotspot may take less stress off of the device, the added cost in having to maintain and pay for yet another device just doesn’t offer enough of a benefit to justify carrying it around all of the time. It seems like it woudl make much more sense to pay for the hotspot service on the phone, and invest in an extra battery or maybe a Powerbag or something to keep the device charged when absolutely necessary.